Flores Runs to the National Finals

Senior Valerie Flores of San Pedro High finished fifth in the West region cross-country championships Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut and became the first girl from the Los Angeles City Section to advance to the national finals.

The top eight finishers in each race qualified for the national championships at Shades of Green in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., next Saturday.

Josh Rohatinsky, a senior from Provo (Utah) High, became the first boy to win consecutive West regional titles since the meet began in 1979.

Alicia Craig, a junior from Campbell County (Wyo.), became the first Wyomingite to win a girls’ or boys’ title.

Flores had placed a disappointing fifth in last week’s state Division I final after getting sick the day before, but she was the top Californian Saturday with a clocking of 18 minutes 21 seconds.

Junior Alejandra Barrientos of Felton San Lorenzo Valley placed sixth in 18:21 with junior Anita Siraki of Glendale Hoover seventh in 18:23.

“I’m ecstatic right now,” said the UCLA-bound Flores. “I’m still in shock. . . . My goal was to qualify [for nationals], but I was thinking maybe eighth or seventh. I didn’t even think about fifth.”

Senior Augie Escobar of Villa Park, who won the state Division II title at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 27, placed fourth in the boys’ race in 16:01 with senior Daniel Mejia of Anaheim Katella fifth in 16:02. Senior Travis Laird of San Marcos, the state Division I champion, was sixth in 16:02.

Craig, 18th in the West region championships last year, won the girls’ race in 18:07 after leader Felicia Guliford of Gallup, N.M., collapsed because of an asthma attack with 150 meters left and defending champion Sara Bei of Santa Rosa Montgomery faded from first to 10th in the last three-quarters of a mile of the race.